Hey, hey, hey, it's Fat Albert: You Been Dumped Dog

The title was an intentional dig at Albert Haynesworth, now former defensive linemen for the Washington Redskins.

Well, it appears the Redskins could take no more of the antics of the $100 million dollar man. Obviously, there are two sides to a story, so whichever side ultimately prevails with the media wins the argument—especially in this case.

On one side, you have ardent supporters of the big man in the middle; on the other, you have those who side with management. It’s the ultimate battle in which the little man feels he must defend a compatriot such as Haynesworth against the evil corporate management just trying to keep the man down, disavowing his right to say and do his thing. Then there are those involved with management who will say the Redskins did the right thing.

I see it this way:

Albert Haynesworth was and continues to be paid a handsome amount from the Washington Redskins. His $100 million plus contract was the largest ever for a defensive lineman. Daniel Snyder examined the man’s career and remunerated a figure he felt was appropriate. But remember, for a hefty price tag like he was expected to deliver the goods.

2010:

The New Year means there's a new coach, with the Redskins bringing in a guy who had already won two Super Bowls. The team decides to employ a new defensive scheme that apparently upsets the $100 million dollar child. Apparently, Haynesworth was not as influential as he thought he ought to be. Both sides decided to dig in their heels, and it appeared that a compact was made. They each figured it was better to co-exist than to create a rift in the locker room.

There’s no need for revisionist history, most are aware of the weekly headlines that seemed to focus more on the problem between two men rather than focusing on the Redskins yo-yo year.

Here is the bottom line:

Haynesworth is a big (literally and figuratively) spoiled, selfish, entitlement oriented, 21st century egotistical athlete.

He was “upset” that the Redskins didn’t reach out to him and accommodate his desire to not play in a 3-4 defense. Well, I hate to drop the big Captain Obvious mantra on Fat Albert, but one man does not make a defense, even though Haynesworth continued to believe that he was a one man wrecking crew. That was his first mistake.

As a writer, I emphasize more than I would like that “Pride goeth before a fall”, which is exactly what happened to Albert. He allowed his pride to get in the way of team.

For $100 million, Albert should have been willing to carry the Gatorade if that is what management wanted. These players tend to think of themselves as warriors, and as such they should be willing to listen to their leadership chain. Albert offended Shanahan and management when he displayed a sense of mistrust that they didn’t have him in the best place to be the player they bought. In any relationship, trust is the one main factor that is attributable to the relationship's success, and Albert used it poorly.

Albert thought that he could buck the system and that people would sympathize with the idea of "Little Man v.s. Management", but he wound up digging his own grave. Appropriately so, as he was more than handsomely compensated.

He should have been willing to do whatever it took to be a team player, but that would have required him to swallow his pride. But for someone of the 21st century mindset, he just couldn’t do it.

A fellow blogger and contributor from the Bleacher Report Brian Corroccio wrote a great article on Big Baby Haynesworth. Go to:

Also, if you would like to check out some of the articles I have written on Bleacher Report go to:
http://bleacherreport.com/users/81989-scott-reighard.